This seven-day trip is designed for birders who haven’t traveled abroad previously AND it offers the best of everything for birders who are on a tight
schedule. Both beginning birders and seasoned veterans will be able to enjoy this birding tour and perhaps tick off a few mega-finds along the way! It can be combined with the Santa Marta trip, but it’s a self-contained itinerary, a trip that will ensure your international birding experience is a great one.
Why Colombia? Easy. It’s the birdiest country on earth, with 1,930 species—almost 20% of the world’s total in 1% of its landmass, with new species still being discovered and new records being announced regularly. There are several reasons for this: Colombia is tropical yet it also has ample elevation changes due to the Andes; it has both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts; it has a wide range of different habitats, and different habitats ensure a wide range of bird species.
Your home for the trip will be one of Colombia’s newest birding lodges, which will allow you to stay in very comfortable accommodations while birding some of the best sites in Colombia without having to spend much time in a vehicle—or packing your suitcase every other day! Araucana Lodge opened in January 2019 and was designed specifically for birders and nature lovers, with spacious rooms and all the comforts that ensure a good night’s rest.
Don’t forget to pack your camera—Araucana Lodge and many of the reserves along the route have excellent feeder set-ups that provide some of the best
photographic opportunities in Colombia, with targets ranging from hummingbirds to toucans.
This trip includes visits to some of Colombia most iconic birding locations, including KM 18 and the San Antonio Cloud Forest (an excellent introduction to birding in the Colombian Andes), the San Cipriano Reserve (which features the humid forests of the Pacific lowlands), the Anchicaya Valley (which is located in one of the most biodiverse national parks in the planet), and an active Andean Cock-of-the-rock lek.
View Trip Bird List Here
Feature Photo: Green Jay by Eric Schroeder